SCHIP long overdue, much needed

Monday, January 26, 2009

Dear Editor:

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) before Congress is needed and long overdue. However, the bill is pro-child and anti-physician.

Some members of Congress want to ban doctors from owning hospitals. They slipped the ban into the SCHIP bill that's supposed to help children from poor families. Banning doctors from owning hospitals has nothing to do with helping children get healthcare.

About 200 physician-owned hospitals across the country provide a wide variety of care to patients. Physician hospitals are good because they let doctors and patients control healthcare decisions. Hospitals run by doctors have fewer complications after procedures, lower infection rates, lower patient-to-nurse ratios and deliver high quality care.

Two of the best known and most respected healthcare institutions in the world started as physician-owned: the Mayo and Cleveland Clinic.

Please urge your Congressman to strike the anti-physician language from the bill and pass the rest of SCHIP to help the children of America.